I
have been reading the Great Escape. Kalman you
have a knack for detail, it is very intense and
interesting. Maybe you should think about
publishing it in some other form? Anyway it is
more than a sitting's worth, and now I can place
some of the stories you told me.

Thanks
for your very interesting story. I will pass it
on to some Romanian colleagues of mine. I have
just a couple of questions, as your story ends
in the 1970s, if you will forgive my curiosity.
Where do you work now? Were your parents ever
able to come and visit you in the States? Have
you been back to Romania since you left
it?

Thanks
for sharing your personal story and creating a
fascinating website.

Your
story was very enjoyable reading --very close to
the version you told to me in Cambridge at a
coffee shop so many years ago! Good work! Are
you working on the next chapters? Bring your
fans up to date with your latest adventures. All
is well with me --no adventures to speak
of!

Just
had a chance to read your story and found it
charming, gripping, harrowing, heart-warming,
hilarious and important. I assume you won't mind
that I'll recommend it to our e-mail
list.

You
might be interested in knowing more about our
organization: Victims
of Communism Memorial
Foundation.
It's chartered by Congress to raise private
resources to build a memorial/museum in
Washington to tell the story of the 100 million
killed by communism regimes and those not killed
but still victims in the hope that such regimes
will not recur in the 21st century.

Thank
you for putting your story for the rest of the
world to benefit from it.!

Fascinating.
Whatever happened with the Pittsburgh family
that was so kind to you? Did you repay them? Did
you ever see the daughter again? Did you marry?
What were the repercussions to your family? What
were the Romanian police called at that
time?

I
have a lot of questions because I'm naturally
curios as a TV producer. I'm 29, and live in
Vancouver, Canada.

I
am writing on behalf of HIAS,
the Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society.
This year, we are celebrating our 120th
anniversary, and we are working on many
commemmorative projects. One is a book of
personal immigration stories written by people
HIAS has assisted. We saw the story of your
escape from Romania at your website, and were
wondering if you would be interested in
submitting the story of your escape and life to
be considered for the book.

Thank
you very much [for your reply]! We are
honored to be able to use your story.
Thank you so much for adding the link to our
site! That is very kind of you.

WOW,
Thanks so much for your story of escape
from Romania. It was well written and I
found myself sitting beside you through all the
highs and lows. It is an especially
poignant story for me at this time as I have a
friend who is trying to find his way out of
Romania and into the USA to pursue his chosen
profession. I am very glad that Chicago
gave you such a warm welcome and that you came
to call her home. You see, I am a native
Chicagoan and am proud that we have such a
wonderfully diverse population. It helps
to make the world that much smaller since I can
reach out into my own neighborhood and find
people like you. Thank you, Nancy.

Kalman,
I just fininshed reading your entire site
(it took me 2 and a half hours!! :)!!) I
enjoyed it very much......mostly about your time
in Romania. God has burdened me for the
country of Romania and I love the people
there. Last year when I was 15 I visited
there for the first time on a mission trip and I
fell in love with the country just like you did
my country. When you were escaping
Romania......those officials were angels sent
from God to protect you and lead you safely
here. I thank you for the time and energy
you spent in making this site!

FROM:
Edison Thomaz, 25, born in Brazil,
currently
graduate student at MIT Media Lab in Cambridge,
Mass. USADATED: August
2001

Hi, Kalman

I
checked your web site and read about your escape
to the west and it was truly amazing. A great
story, a great read. These days, we kind of take
for granted everything that we have, our
freedom, and forget the types of hardships that
a lot of people, including you, had to go
through.

Talk
to you later,

Edison

.

FROM:
Vlady Zeiger, 51, born in Romania, living in
US since 1981DATED: November
2001

[Liberal translation from
Romanian]

Hello
Kalman,

I
read with fascination your story and I could not
think of anything else... I was able
continuously to place myself in your shoes as I
was able to understand completely what you felt
throughout your entire journey.

From
time to time I continue to revisit your story
since from yesterday this is the only thing that
I am thinking about. Your story affected me very
much. Maybe this is why I am so taken and my
writing is so dispersed. Please excuse
me.

Wishing
you all the happiness and good health.

Vladi

.

FROM:
Daniela Shewfelt, 28, a 4-year "transplant"
from Romania to CanadaDATED: November
2001

[Liberal
translation from Romanian]

Dear
Sir,

I
read breathlessly your immigration story to
America and I think that it is truly amazing
with lots of humor and twists. Your hot dog
story is something else and I may be using it
for my class.

I
cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed reading
your story. Your style of writing in English is
extremely captivating. Have you written other
books?

Wishing
you well and lots of health.

Daniela

.

FROM:Bryan Horton, born
in the USADATED: December
2001

Hello
Kalman --

Thank
you for sharing this story. Being a U.S. citizen
by birth as many U.S. citizen, tend to forget
what a great country the United States really is
- which is a shame.

I
stumbled upon your story searching for things
having to do with Romania - since my
"wife-to-be" is Romanian and still living in
Bucharest. This story helps greatly as to how
she is feeling and what some of her fears might
be coming to live in her new country - America
(August 2002).

I
would think that this would make a very good
movie and would be of interest to screenwriters
in Hollywood. Have you had such an offer to make
your story into a movie? You will have to keep
me updated on whether there is thoughts on
making your story into a movie. Many
thanks.

I
read your story and I could not stop until I had
finished. Thank you for sharing it with us. I
worked in California for a few years with a
friend who was born in Romania and he told me
his story at least part of it. What I remember
the most is that it took him 5 years to leave.
Some of his family had already left and was here
in America. I worked with a Russian also in the
same place and he escaped Russia in a boat but
his son was killed during the escape. You had
more courage than I think I ever had but of
course I was born here. I was lucky. I am now
disabled but I worked as an Electrical Engineer.

Thank
you for sharing the newpaper story with us also.
I just wanted to say thank you and I am happy
that you are a part of this great country.

FROM:
Shelly Palmer Bugar, born in the USA
and married with a Romanian!DATED:September
2002

Dear Sir,

I
just read with great interest your story on the
Internet about coming to America. It was
truly engaging and never once did I want to
"skip ahead." Upon finishing, the burning
question in my mind was, "how is your dear
mother?" Well, after navigating your site,
I was truly happy to see her smiling face during
recent birthday celebrations! Her support
of you, despite the seperation, was truly
heartfelt. And it's clear from the
pictures that you are a good son!

Thank
you so much for sharing such a wonderful story
for others to enjoy. I was born here
in America, but it's stories like yours that
never allow me to take that, and the freedoms I
enjoy, for granted.

Kind
regards,

Shelly
Palmer Bugar

PS.
By the way, my husband too defected from Romania
in 1986. He was 26 years old at the
time. I recounted to him your story,
leg for leg, and I could tell he was
intrigued. He particularly laughed at the
train ride into Graz with the gypsies! Too
funny!

Someone
emailed me a copy of your "ode to Americans" and
I wanted to verify when this was written. While
researching I found your website and your great
escape story. I was compelled to keep reading
and did not make it to bed until very late. What
an interesting saga and so thankful that you
were able to write about your experiences and
successes.

Like
the others that have left messages, it would be
nice to hear how you are doing, and your family.
Perhaps I have not delved far enough into the
Cornel Nistorescu story to find my
answers.

God
truly had a mission for you, and we are happy
that you found Chicago as a roosting
place.

I
love to travel, my husband is retired U S Air
Force and we were able to do a lot of it while
he was in the military. We continue to do so
whenever we can escape for a few days (never
long enough). Just returned from a cruise to
Alaska and our waiter was from Romania. Perhaps
his friendliness and good work ethic attracted
me to your story too, who knows?

But
like the others, thank you for sharing. I hope
your family is well. Your mother's pictures are
delightful and I do hope you still have her with
you. Glad too, that your sister is in the States
and you can be "near" one another.

FROM:
Titel
Gurau, born in Romania and living now in
CanadaDATED:January
2008

Kalman,

It
is with great pleasure and interest that I read
your story. Through it I re-lived my
own experience of some 26 years ago when I
left Romania. Not only the trepidations of
the days prior to the departure, but also the
highs and lows of the first days, weeks and
months of my new life in transit and then in
Canada. Other than to express
my admiration and gratitude for your
sharing the story, and for its captivating
style, I am also writing to let you know
that I knew Prof. Constantin Dramba,
he was a distant relative of mine. He took
me to the Observatory in Bucharest one night (in
1971) and I left that place with the desire to
become an astronomer. Well, I didn't ... I
went to Polytechnica and, shortly after
graduating in 1980, I ended up here!

Best
regards,

Titel

.

FROM:
Nancy
Bowman, born in the USADATED:April
2008

Absolutely a beautiful story,

Sir,

Your
escape story and your entry into the United
States of America is the story of so many
Americans. Yet, it is the story of one country,
under God, indivisible.......this is what the
great movies are made of. Does anyone have
Steven Spielburg's address?

In
this country, we need you. We need to be
reminded how we escaped the Communist ties, and
how, if we the people are not careful, we could
be enamored with communist ideas. We need your
story. A true story. One that reminds all of us
why we are Americans and citizens of the
USA.

Thank
You. Thank you. Consider speaking of a book or
Script for movie. All of us need
inspiration.

Nancy
Bowman,
Descendents
of Czech Moravian origin, as well as Irish,Scot,
and Several others.

I
was captivated by your story so much that I just
can't stop reading it to write back to you. I
can feel the same awkwardness when I stepped on
this country the first day, to talk to other
people with my very poor English. And even now
sometimes I have to employ the "ah-uh" routine
in the conservation.

I
love the story of hotdog, it's so funny.

I
just can't express how much I enjoyed reading
your story, I really think that is a great and
fascinating story with lots of humors and
tears.

FROM:
Pseudonym
"Cora
Lee" (real name unknown), Born in Romania and
emigrated to Canada with husband and
daughter.DATED:October
2009

Hi,

It
is with great pleasure that I write this message
to you, after reading your extraordinary story
about the Escape from Romania. I also checked
your website and the Fan Club, and I noticed
that the messages posted there are from 2005. I
do hope that this address is still valid,and
that you still check messages here.

Congratulations
on your story and on your captivating way of
writing it. Even if the year of your escape was
very close to the year of my birth in Romania, I
am sure you know from your family and friends
who continued to live in Romania that after 1969
many worse years of communism were to come. I
spent my teenage years and my youth in the
1980's in Romania...I also witnessed the 1989
Revolution.....and my "escape" happened much
later, after the year 2000, and the official
name is now "immigration".

As
legal immigrants we have not been through any of
the ordeals of those who fled Romania before
1989; yet, only trying to adapt and adjust to
life in a New World has its own ordeals. I had
the same struggle as you did with the accent in
English. The funny thing was that, as a student,
tourist,or visitor in UK or US, I have never
been told that "you have an accent". I have
always been treated or accepted by native
speakers as a "good/fluent non-native speaker of
English".

Yet,
after arriving in Canada as a legal immigrant,
and after passing language tests and interviews
with excellent scores, I had to face rejection
for a job interview because "I had an accent".
As a passionate of linguistics, I read with
great interest and pleasure your story about
"hot dogs", as well as all your stories about
the impact of the American culture on a
newcomer.

Having
seen only a few other American cities before, I
can wholeheartedly agree with you that Chicago
is the BEST American city. For me, as a visitor
to Chicago, it was love at first sight. I am
happy to have now family living in Chicago, thus
having the opportunity to visit more often.
Should you ever be available and willing to
share more of your knowledge and love for
Chicago, I would love to meet you and talk to
you.

I
was also impressed and happy for you, when
reading your story about your first job in
Chicago at Enciclopaedia Britannica. That
was indeed a great opportunity, and as we all
know, such opportunities are rare or none
nowadays. This is especially true for newcomer
immigrants in Canada who have to always start
from "general labour" or "no job", no matter
what their credentials, experience, or
qualifications are.....and ,sadly, for many of
them credentials include Master degrees or
PhDs......but , well, this is
life....

My
best wishes and once again congrats for your
story....Hope to see the next chapter(s) of your
story, with the cronological order from the
1970's to date.

Best
regards,

"Cora"

.

FROM:
Gary E.
Sims, born in the USA.DATED:November
2009

Kalman,

Thank
you for sharing your story. I had just met a man
and his family at my daughters school who
escaped from Romania in the 1980's. He shared
his story with me and it was very moving. In
looking up locations of his escape I found your
story. It was very moving. We in America often
take for granted our freedom. To see someone
like you or my friend love a country for what it
offers even in it's simplicity, is a revelation
as to how privileged we really are to live in
this country. You have made me appreciate my
country even more. Thank You.

Being
in the construction business near Ann Arbor
Michigan, I meet a lot of interesting
people performing various trades. For the
past year I have been enjoying
the professional services of a group
of men from the Transylvania area of
Romania (granite & marble fabricators),
who each has their own exciting story of how
they came to the U.S. Being born here
can make us unappricative of the
freedoms we have, until stories like yours are
told. Thank you for sharing yours.